Cardiff Council said a decision has not been taken on the future of the Museum of Cardiff after it was revealed that it had stopped taking donations. It was confirmed by the council that the Museum of Cardiff has stopped collecting donations temporarily - a decision it says staff at the museum took as a practical, temporary step ahead of a resolution on whether it should become mobile or remain in the Old Library.
As part of their budget consultation, the council said a proposal to turn the museum on The Hayes into a mobile attraction could save it £266,000 per year. The council also said that the move could allow it to re-open the museum in a permanent home in the future, if a suitable location was found, and funding secured.
The Grade II-listed Old Library building was first opened in 1882 and has housed the Museum of Cardiff since 2011. When asked what the temporary halting of donations means for the future of the museum, a Cardiff Council spokesperson said "it doesn't change anything".
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The spokesperson added: "The proposals are still just that, subject to consultation results." As part of the council's proposal, the museum's displays and activities would move around Cardiff, and a small key team would be retained to continue with community engagement and manage the ongoing care of the collection.
However, some residents see the proposal to turn the museum into a mobile attraction as a proposal to close the museum altogether. Professor of Conservation at Cardiff University, Professor Jane Henderson, said turning the museum mobile could be highly expensive and more difficult than running it in one location.
She also said that taking the museum away from its current home could affect its eligibility for museum accreditation, which is used to secure funding. A public consultation on the council's budget proposals closed at the end of January. Results of the consultation are expected to be published in a report which will be presented to and discussed by the council's scrutiny committees and cabinet members later this month.
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